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When designing a truly eco-friendly home, or a eco-settlement in concert with the land, it is key to remove all the concepts of boundaries that you come with. A truly ecologically-based site design takes into consideration not just acquisition of the literal chunk of land - but also the relationship between your needs and the land's. The collective settlement of piece of land - the creation of a community - should aspire to this also, however in order to do so, the community must let go the concept of a square or rectilinear boundary.
In so far as you are able, leave the land alone. Use swales and berms to provide groundwater recharge and direct water flows to ponds, but be mindful of diverting streams, or creating them for that matter. Water and the land are inextricably in relationship so mindful management is key to survival of both, as well as to the health and well being of the plants and animals.
Do not build on aquifers if at all possible. If impossible, use a community-wide sewer type system and single mass production plant to make methane for the community house instead of a septic type system, which will spread the effluents all over the (currently functioning) aquifer instead of a localized place where it's healthy bacteria and scrubbers have a chance to defend the whole.
Do not plow or plant more than 12% of available meadows unless you are using entirely locally occurring plants, and even then only plant 50% of the available space. (This is mainly for the safety and health of the wildlife who may not understand why your carrots are off limits.)
Allow the low parts of stream, river, and lake areas, especially those with grasses but also those within the 50-year floodplain, to remain untouched to allow riparian access to streams, give the water plenty of space to be cleaned, and allow hardwoods to grow. If you want to build near a stream, that's okay, just build within the forested area so that the grasslands that filter the water for the stream are allowed to function correctly.
To minimize erosion and the accidental diverting or creation of new water channels, do not build or farm on slopes over 12%. Do not build roads on slopes over 20%.
Allow your natural weed management system – goats and otherwise – to free range so that erosion is not localized and the plants have a chance to heal.
If you have any USDA Category 1 soils on your lands, allow them to recharge the rest of the land. Use only the edges of these soils so that your topsoil stays healthy and can be recharged. Only build 1 large building (1500SF footprint) per 25 acres in these prime soil recharge areas.
Build centrally so that you have the shortest number of roads. Allow a single controllable entrance because eventually you will have visitors and a means of preparing for their access to the site, complete with guide - a description of the community; maps to your garden stand, the orchard, the smithy's house, etc. Plus you can know if everyone's okay because they pass by from time to time. It's just good community-building.
Only allow 1 house per 3 acres in steep terrain or in the deepest parts of the forest. Allow 1 house per acre on mid-steep to flat terrain at the forests' edge.
Following these simple pointers will help the earth to be allowed to "do her thing" and work for you. She can then purify the air around you, recharge your groundwater and stream, and hold back erosion which fills up the streams at the detriment to those downstream, including not only man but also the trout and egrets and wolves and bears.
Hopefully these guidelines will help you to manifest your ideal oasis - one that will last your family several lifetimes, and become more beautiful with age.
square or rectilinear boundary.
